MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -WINSTON-SALEM, NC- In a series dominated by offense and pitchers' ERAs
creeping toward quadruple digits, the finale of the four-game set between
the Winston-Salem Dash and the Potomac Nationals was naturally a dynamic
pitcher's duel between Jacob Rasner and Tom Milone who matched each other
pitch for pitch as the day turned to night at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Once night had fallen, however, the game turned into a folly of walks and
wild pitches with the lead changing hands multiple times. The hero,
however, was reserve infielder Dan Lyons who supplied the big blow with a
bases-loaded triple in the top of the 12th to give the P-Nats an 8-4
victory.

Tom Milone took to the hill thrilled to see the month of June in the
rearview mirror. After struggling to a 6.53 ERA last month, Milone went
out and tossed one of the best games of his professional career. The
California lefty threw seven stellar innings, allowing just two runs on
five hits while striking out a career-high nine Dash batters. Milone
commanded the strike zone flawlessly all night as the southpaw did not
walk a batter.

Unfortunately for Milone, he went up against a red-hot righty in Jacob
Rasner. Coming into the game, Rasner had held opponents to just a .198
batting average while carrying a 2.77 ERA from the month of June into
Wednesday's start. The Nevadan came as advertised, stifling the P-Nats
for eight innings. The righty made just two mistakes on the night which
turned into two Potomac solo home runs. Rasner went eight innings,
allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out five and walking
one.

The two P-Nats big blasts came off the bats of Francisco Plasencia, who
knocked a two-out bomb in the fifth, and Chris Marrero who boomed the
first pitch he saw in the eighth inning over the right-center field wall
to tie the game at two.

Missed opportunities would litter the box score for both clubs as there
would be bonus baseball in Winston-Salem on getaway day.

Dan Lyons would lead the top of the 11th off with a bunt single and reach
third with just one out. With two outs, Hector Santiago would uncork a
wild pitch to score Lyons with the go-ahead run. A Tim Pahuta infield
single would bring in another run to make it 4-2 as the P-Nats were
sitting pretty in extra innings.

But the Dash would fight back, plating two of their own in the bottom half
of the frame. An infield single and a walk would put the tying runs
aboard, and a groundout would cut the lead in half. Cole Kimball (2-5)
would strike out Joe Persichina with what should have been the final out,
but the ball got behind Sean Rooney. Salvador Sanchez would score as
Persichina raced to first as the game became tied at four.

The P-Nats would respond, however, in the top of the 12th, loading the
bases with nobody out on the strength of two walks and single. Lyons
would then stride to the plate after coming into the game as a defensive
replacement in the ninth inning. With the infield drawn in, Lyons would
waste no time, launching the first pitch he saw from Hector Santiago (2-2)
over the head of Sanchez in center to empty the basepaths with his first
triple of the season. The Nats would notch another run on a Sean Rooney
sacrifice fly to push the lead to 8-4.

Dan Leatherman would pitch the 12th to end the ballgame.

The P-Nats take the long bus ride home to Woodbridge to take on the
Frederick Keys for a four-game set starting Thursday night at 7:05 ET.

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